Ohana CK35GS / Kala KA-SHMC / Pono MCD Deluxe Ukulele - Which would you recommend?

Which ukulele do you recommend?

  • Ohana CK-35G

    Votes: 5 50.0%

  • Kala KA-SMHC

    Votes: 1 10.0%

  • Pono MCD

    Votes: 4 40.0%
  • Total voters
    10
I

idosolovethemsamiam

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Hi Guys

Please can you give me some advice on which of the following I should buy?

Ohana CK35GS
Kala KA-SHMC
Pono MCD Deluxe Ukulele

My first uke was a Kala KA-C which I've loved but I've really outgrown it. I've viewed a ton of ukulele videos and narrowed my choices to the above 3.

I'm looking for a lightweight ukulele and I have small hands. I really want something I will keep for a long time and not have to upgrade for a few years. I want something that will grow with me as I become more experienced with the ukulele.

Thanks for your help :) I would go into the shops and try them out but what with the UK and Covid, this is impossible right now.

Thanks :)
 
All are fine choices but I voted for the Pono because it has an edge in build quality and consistency and it will take a while to out grow. (Most of us won't out grow a Pono.)
 
The Pono is a solid uke but if you have small hands it may not be the best choice. I sold mine and bought a Opio spruce top. If you can afford the $561, you won't regret it.
 
I voted for the Ohana. I own 3 Ohanas and I love them all. I was actually going to buy this particular model but then my conscience started telling me that if I were going to add yet another uke to my collection then I should probably get something more different than what I already own. I love the look of it and I'm pretty sure that it would sound great.

The Kala, the tortoise shell binding would be a deal breaker for me. I really don't like the look and it would bug me.

The Pono, I had a Pono and never bonded with it. The sound is good but it's a heavy uke and I think it's kind of plain looking. If I'm paying that much for a uke, I want it to be a bit of a looker too.
 
I used to own the tenor version of the Ohana model you are considering. A pretty instrument, with a lovely sound. I have small hands, but found the Ohana neck to be quite comfortable. The only reason I sold it is because the tenor scale was too much of a stretch for my arthritic hands. But the concert scale version shouldn’t be a problem for your hands, if you liked your Kala.
 
I own 3 Ohana solid mahogany ukes, SK30M/SK30L/CK35L, they have a great tone, so are amongst my favourites.

My best uke is a KoAloha Opio solid acacia tenor necked concert, it has a fairly similar tone, but a little brighter with more punch, but costs at least twice as much as my Ohana CK35L.
 
I cannot speak to the Pono, other than it is in a different price range as the others. I have an Ohana CK-35S (same instrument but matte finish, actually have had several) and recently purchased and sold an SMHC. For the examples that I have/had, the Ohana was a bit lighter by about 40-50 gm; maybe due in part to the closed-gear tuners (I prefer the open-gear Grovers on the Ohana, BTW). Even though the difference wasn’t much, I was a bit surprised by how heavy the SMHC initially felt. The Ohana has a slightly thinner neck, while the SMHC has a typical C shape that might feel fat in hand to some. The Ohana top and back are one piece and sometimes you get curving or diagonal grains, whereas the SMHC is bookmatched. The satin finish of the SMHC has a bit of gloss to it and is not grain-filled. That said, the SMHC sounded a bit better to my ears straight out of the box, but both are good. Hopefully those points can help with your decision. As alluded to previously, I kept the Ohana and sold the SMHC, so you see where my preference lies. You might want to branch out and try a different brand or you might want to stick with Kala.
 
I'm curious about how you picked the 3 ukuleles on your list as opposed to other popular moderately-priced step-up ukulele brands like Opio, Martin, Romero, or Anuenue?
 
oahugrl said:
The Pono is a solid uke but if you have small hands it may not be the best choice. I sold mine and bought a Opio spruce top. If you can afford the $561, you won't regret it.
Click to expand...

I haven't heard of that brand before - thank you for the recommendation! I'm definitely going to look it up :)
 
mikelz777 said:
I voted for the Ohana. I own 3 Ohanas and I love them all. I was actually going to buy this particular model but then my conscience started telling me that if I were going to add yet another uke to my collection then I should probably get something more different than what I already own. I love the look of it and I'm pretty sure that it would sound great.

The Kala, the tortoise shell binding would be a deal breaker for me. I really don't like the look and it would bug me.

The Pono, I had a Pono and never bonded with it. The sound is good but it's a heavy uke and I think it's kind of plain looking. If I'm paying that much for a uke, I want it to be a bit of a looker too.
Click to expand...

Thanks for talking me through the 3 ukes.

Haha it's so difficult to not buy lots of them. Space is the reason I'm very controlled about it.

Yeah for me I wasn't sure about the appearance. I loved the appearance of the Kala KA-C but the KA-SMHC isn't as pretty to my eyes.

Thanks for letting me know it's heavy. I'm not keen on my uke being heavy. Yeah true, it's nice to have some different details on a uke that draw your eyes to it.

Thank you again!
 
Jan D said:
I used to own the tenor version of the Ohana model you are considering. A pretty instrument, with a lovely sound. I have small hands, but found the Ohana neck to be quite comfortable. The only reason I sold it is because the tenor scale was too much of a stretch for my arthritic hands. But the concert scale version shouldn’t be a problem for your hands, if you liked your Kala.
Click to expand...

Thank you! It's great to know it's got a lovely sound to it - no matter how many videos I watch it's always hard to gauge. That's really good to know that the neck is very comfortable. I'm sorry you had to sell yours because it was too much of a stretch. I hope you have a or some ukuleles that are really comfortable to play and sound lovely too :)
 
Croaky Keith said:
I own 3 Ohana solid mahogany ukes, SK30M/SK30L/CK35L, they have a great tone, so are amongst my favourites.

My best uke is a KoAloha Opio solid acacia tenor necked concert, it has a fairly similar tone, but a little brighter with more punch, but costs at least twice as much as my Ohana CK35L.
Click to expand...

Thank you! That's the second time I've heard of Opio ukes now - I'm definitely going to look them up! Thanks :)
 
badhabits said:
I cannot speak to the Pono, other than it is in a different price range as the others. I have an Ohana CK-35S (same instrument but matte finish, actually have had several) and recently purchased and sold an SMHC. For the examples that I have/had, the Ohana was a bit lighter by about 40-50 gm; maybe due in part to the closed-gear tuners (I prefer the open-gear Grovers on the Ohana, BTW). Even though the difference wasn’t much, I was a bit surprised by how heavy the SMHC initially felt. The Ohana has a slightly thinner neck, while the SMHC has a typical C shape that might feel fat in hand to some. The Ohana top and back are one piece and sometimes you get curving or diagonal grains, whereas the SMHC is bookmatched. The satin finish of the SMHC has a bit of gloss to it and is not grain-filled. That said, the SMHC sounded a bit better to my ears straight out of the box, but both are good. Hopefully those points can help with your decision. As alluded to previously, I kept the Ohana and sold the SMHC, so you see where my preference lies. You might want to branch out and try a different brand or you might want to stick with Kala.
Click to expand...

Thank you for all the detail you've put about the ukuleles! It's really helpful to read and kind of feels like I'm in the shop trying them out. Thanks again :)
 
man0a said:
I'm curious about how you picked the 3 ukuleles on your list as opposed to other popular moderately-priced step-up ukulele brands like Opio, Martin, Romero, or Anuenue?
Click to expand...

Thank you for the suggestions! I'm not very knowledgeable on all the ukulele brands so thank you for suggesting those 3 - the 3rd time Opio's been mentioned. Romero and Anuenue are new to me. Martin is a brand I've heard by association of guitars, so I'll definitely consider them too. Thanks :)
 
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